Why People Combine Physiotherapy With Chiropractic?

Physiotherapist’s and Chiropractor’s working together

Due to lots of misconception, many people think there is no value in using physiotherapy while seeing a chiropractor, and vice-versa. Let me tell you that it’s simply not true. Both treatments have great benefits when combined as long as both practitioners fully collaborate.

You may have heard the term “integrated care”. It’s often used in multidisciplinary clinics and is definitely present in hospital settings. An integrated care approach is the best you can find in relation to recovering from an injury or a condition. It combines the expertise from different health professionals and look at the person as a whole versus the injury itself.

It also allows a stronger collaboration and reduce the redundancy of care, which in return save you time and save you money in the long run. But more importantly, it helps you with a better and faster recovery.

An Integrated Care Approach

At Pillars of Wellness, we utilize this approach and offer a true collaboration amongst practitioners. It works even better when you have different health professions such as physiotherapy, chiropractic, acupuncture, counselling, occupational therapy, speech therapy and naturopathy.

Let me give you an example. Let’s say “John” had a car accident and his doctor referred him to an occupational therapist for his brain injury. John is likely suffering also from physical trauma as well as mental trauma. Maybe, John has now problems to sleep due to his pain, anxiety or else…

Will the occupational therapist able to treat all these symptoms? Definitely not.

In order to help John, he would also need a physiotherapist, a chiropractor, a psychotherapist for his trauma and likely acupuncture and naturopathy to manage the pain and his insomnia.

Now, imagine if you have to see all those practitioners in different clinics. It would be a logistical nightmare and at the end, it’s unlikely you end up going to those places because it’s just too much!

Wouldn’t be better to have it all under one roof? Hence, the reason why, we started Pillars of Wellness. To provide conveniency and offer a truly integrated care.

Now, let’s go back to the reason why it’s beneficial to use physiotherapy and chiropractic care and explain what does both professions.

What Physiotherapists Do?

Physiotherapists work on prevention and treatment of different injuries that can affect the musculoskeletal system, specifically the muscles, ligaments and tendons. They are also involved in the treatment of patients with chronic conditions such as fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease and multiple sclerosis. Therapy is generally used to address pain and reduce symptoms but may also include exercise and motor skill training to increase independence.

However, physiotherapists can also specialize in other areas such as pelvic health, concussion, TMJ, vestibular disorders to name a few.

At Pillars of Wellness, we do provide all those specialties and modalities including neuro-rehabilitation.

What Are The Benefits of Physiotherapy

There are many different benefits of physiotherapy, but first and foremost it is a type of treatment for injuries caused by an external force such as impact, trauma or lifting. It can also be used to help prevent injuries caused by internal sources such as overexertion or constriction of the musculoskeletal system. Many injuries occur as a result of poor posture or sedentary lifestyles and as such this modality of treatment is very useful in helping to improve the health of those who suffer from these conditions. A number of physical therapists and rehabilitation service providers are now trained in the use of this type of treatment, and it has become one of the most popular forms of treatment for those suffering from a range of physical conditions including chronic pain and injury.

The main principle behind physiotherapy is to help restore full mobility to the patient's body and this can be achieved through a range of rehabilitation techniques.

If you are suffering from one of these conditions and would like to learn more about the various benefits of physiotherapy, feel free to contact us at Pillars of Wellness in Burlington, Ontario.

What Role Do Chiropractors Play?

A chiropractor is trained to diagnose problems of the spine and associated disorders of the nervous system. From there, they may begin treatments based upon the type of condition the patient is suffering from. Chiropractors also utilize spinal adjustments to help control the functioning of the neuromuscular. Some chiropractic adjustments may be done manually, while others may be done with the use of an electric motor.

What many people don’t know is that they may also help with headaches, migraines, dizziness and some non-pathological balance disorders. Often times, the initial treatments provided by chiropractors are to find relief from pain and stress that is often caused by an injury, a condition or maybe even a lifestyle. However, if the patient continues to experience pain after they have received their initial treatment, then other treatments may be needed to find the root cause of the pain.

Chiropractic – What Are The Benefits From Chiropractic Care?

Chiropractic care is often thought of as a form of gentle manipulation of the spine, but in fact it consists of a variety of gentle techniques including spinal adjustments, ultrasound, electrical stimulation and manual techniques. Most often used to treat lower back pain, spinal manipulative therapy is considered an effective natural treatment for lower back pain, sometimes referred to as "McKenzie" after its practitioner, Dr. Robert McKenzie. Spinal manipulation and other types of chiropractic treatment can provide pain relief, improve mobility and promote healing of injured and degenerated joints. When it comes to back problems, chiropractic treatment can help realign spinal alignment, fix muscle imbalances and provide pain relief. Chiropractic care can also help improve circulation and balance the nervous system.

Chiropractic care can be combined with regular visits with a physical therapist or osteopathic physician to increase wellness and decrease pain in the neck, shoulders and joints. A chiropractor can strengthen and stretches muscles and teach exercises that will help restore joint mobility. Chiropractors can provide therapeutic massage to the neck, shoulders, hips, hands and feet.

Chiropractic should only be administered by a licensed practitioner with training from accredited schools and years of experience in the field.

Why you may need both?

Now that you have a better idea of what role play both, physiotherapists and chiropractors, you can see that they share one major similarity; they address your body’s pain, function and range of movement. Your body works as one functional unit meaning all the joints work together. Many injuries require the work of both of these professionals, such as shoulder pain, back and leg related issues.

By combining the two disciplines, you are able to optimize your treatments and recover faster, and in the best possible way. Whilst chiropractic may help to diagnose the problem, relieve pain and restore normal movement, a physiotherapist can help to keep the restored movement and keep you pain free.

In some cases, one injury can also lead to another issue that may require the help of another discipline. For instance, if you are experiencing an ankle ligament sprain this may induce a limp. Whilst the issues surrounding the ankle can be treated by a physiotherapist, the limp may have resulted in a strain in the lower back which needs to be looked at by a chiropractor.

Finally, getting a second opinion on any injury is always valuable. Each profession can look at injuries from a different angle and may notice one thing but not the other. This means that they may go about treating the injury a certain way that fails to address the underlying issue. By visiting both professionals, you are getting a far more well-rounded treatment than you would otherwise.

Hope this all explanation makes sense to you and if not, feel free to give us a call!